For Such A Time As This

“Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”- Esther 4:13-14. 

One of the most interesting stories in the Bible is Esther. Esther is an attractive, young (secretly Jewish) woman who was a member of the harem of King Ahasuerus who became queen. Esther did not have a typical queen’s backstory. She was an orphan, living in a strange land with Mordecai. The world overlooked her potential. But God did not. Esther became queen and overcame unbelievable circumstances all because of a single truth; God had chosen her for this moment.

The chosen moment was when she became queen: “On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance. When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter. Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!“

Esther realizes that the fate of a whole nation is in her hands. She understands that she has not been brought to this point in her life for the sake of accumulating an exquisite wardrobe, precious gems, and exotic fragrances. She’s part of what God is doing on this earth.  She had waited for a long time before she ever had the opportunity to face the king. She knew all along that she was in there for God’s purposes, but she held on, trusted, and knew when to plead her case. 

Esther’s life appears to be a series of coincidences strung together to deliver the Jews from certain death. However, God selected Esther for a particular purpose at a particular time “…for such a time as this.” (Esther 4: 14) 

How does “for such a time as this” apply to you? What if you have come to this place for such a time as this? God’s planning is never random; His purpose for you and your life was set in place before you were born. We’re reminded in Ephesians 1:4, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”

God created you for such a time as this, and He has a plan for you and for a time such as this.

Discussion Questions:

1. When people say that God has a wonderful plan for their lives, what do they usually mean?
2. Part of God’s wonderful plan for your life is to make you like His Son. Does this excite you?